Some thought

After two weeks of living in Nicaragua, I finally understand how it feels to be a minority. In California and Taipei, Taiwanese Americans are everywhere. Until now, I had rarely interacted with someone who was uninformed or unaware of us. Lately I’ve developed a stronger sense of what I identify with and consequently, the misconceptions that upset me. Maybe my pride is the problem, but it’s tough to get over when no one else nearby shares the same feelings. There are a few things that I wish a few people that I’ve encountered would understand.
1. I’m fine with being called Chinita. Really. But the country that provided scholarships for Nicaraguans to attend their universities was Taiwan, not China or China Taiwan.
2. Ching chong ching chong. That’s really unnecessary.
3. A discussion about how the US efforts to help development in Nicaragua are solely for political power is really not what this Peace Corps trainee wants to hear just because I look Chinese.
4. On a lighter note, I’m glad I don’t know karate because just because it is popular here doesn’t mean that every Chinese person knows karate.
I guess this is the first time I’ve really stuck out and it takes some getting used to.

I’m complaining a lot, but things are not as bad as they sound. On Wednesday we spent the afternoon in a medical session about malaria and dengue followed by a technical session about deforestation. The medical talks are given by our Peace Corps doctors and I really enjoy them. I’ve learned about Malaria before but somehow its prevalence in Nicaragua made it more fascinating this time. I am seriously going to do some research about some sort of career in pathology. Anyway we all have to take chloroquine once a week as a prophylaxis and it’s still effective against the plasmodium in Nicaragua. So good news is I won’t get malaria! Unfortunately there’s no vaccine or medication against Dengue Fever. It’s known as the back-breaking fever because the symptoms are severe and apparently pretty terrible. Since it’s a virus, you can’t do anything about it and your system clears it in about a week. If we get it we have to get our blood tested for platelet levels because one strain of the virus is hemorrhagic and that causes death. If platelet levels are normal, you’re fine even though you feel like you’re dying. Last week I developed a rash from either the soap in my bathroom, or one of the three deet-free mosquito repellants that I was using. So I’ve stopped using all of the above and I think I need to start again cause like I’ve mentioned, los zancudos love me. Apparently I’m allergic too because my bites initially swell pretty freakishly. Right now my arms and legs are covered with bites and not only do I want to scratch my skin away, but it’s also quite sad-looking. Peace Corps gave us these plastic briefcases containing every over-the-counter medical supply you could think of. There’s Sudafed, Benadryl, Tylenol, Ibuprofin, Aspirin, condoms, band-aids, cough drops, oral hydration salts, chapstick, floss, anti-fungal cream, sunblock, saline, antiseptic soap, etc. I have all sorts of things I probably won’t ever use, but it’s pretty fun to flip through. We can request anything we run out of or need and hopefully I’ll get the bug repellant with deet that I requested soon because I think they’re out at the moment. Some photos will make this post more interesting but I can´t figure out how to upload them without terrible pixelation. I´ll post my snapfish link to the album once i figure all that out. Nos Vemos!